3 Telangana MLAs Quit Congress

The Congress party suffered a major jolt on Sunday, after 3 MLAs from the Telangana region submitted their resignations from the party.

Former minister and Kollapur MLA Jupally Krishna Rao, Station Ghanpur MLA Tadikonda Rajaiah and Ramagundem MLA Somarapu Satyanarayana resigned from the party's membership.

The trio faxed their resignation letters to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and PCC president Botsa Satyanarayana.

Later, addressing a press conference at Somajiguda press club, Jupally said that they have resigned from the party's membership as they believed that the "Congress will never give Telangana".

Admitting that they have been planning to quit the party for a long time, Jupally said that they were under immense pressure from the party, and also from Seemandhra leaders, to stay put in the party.

Describing the Congress' Telangana ministers and MLAs as "helpless" and without any powers, Jupally said that Home Minister P Sabith Indira Reddy was unable to take action against a DSP who allegedly beat up a Kakatiya University student.

He said that leaders from the region have no say in the party, irrespective of their designations or posts.

He also claimed that Congress MLAs and MPs were indiscriminately booked under serious offences when they participated in the Rail Roko agitation.

The Kollapur MLA added that many Congress MLAs and even MPs were ready to quit the party. He even predicted that the party would be wiped out in the region due to its anti-Telangana approach.

The Congress MLAs said that the Centre failed to react even after nearly 700 people committed suicide for the statehood cause and the entire region remained almost shut for 42 days.

They said that they hope their resignations would open the eyes of the party High Command and that it would take an early decision on the statehood issue.

They said that they would revive the Telangana agitation from the grassroots level.

It may be mentioned here that Jupally Krishna Rao was the first to resign from the state Cabinet, demanding statehood for Telangana. His resignation was accepted on 1 June.

Later, he also submitted his resignation from the post of Kollapur MLA. However, Speaker Nadendla Manohar is yet to take a decision on the same.

Earlier, Rajaiah and Satyanarayana, too, had submitted resignations from the MLAs' posts along with other elected representatives, in July this year. However, their resignations were rejected by the Speaker.

After resigning from the Congress party, the 3 MLAs visited the Martyrs' Memorial at Gun Park opposite the Legislative Assembly and paid tributes there. (INN)